Rail and tie fastening assembly



Oct. 20, 1953 r I H. w. PROTZELLER 2,656,116

RAIL 'AND TIE FASTENING ASSEMBLY z'sheets-sheei 1 Filed April 8, 1947 Oct. 20, 1953' H. w. PROTZEL-LER 2,656,116

RAIL AND TIE FASTENING ASSEMBLY Filed A ril 8, 1947 WWW ' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 patented Oct. 20, 1953 RAIL TIE "FASTENIN .G ASSEMBIZX fliazrny 1'WQ. aliretzeller, Fairmon't, MimL, ass'igmor, b irect 13 1131 1081? assignments, to :Anthur Wm. Nelson, Bark ltidgeilll.

Application April'8, 1947,'Ser1iajliNQ. ;'l4Q,123

",4 Claims.- (CL Bits- 4283) il'i-iis iinvention relates to improvements and rasten'ing -assembly-.-and :it eonsistsmef zthe mattersthereina iteridesenibed and more particuflatly po'inted routiin the appended aelaims.

Oneoi zthe dbi eets vof :the present invention is itflmmide aiuriitany assembly torzuse in itastening the rails of a railroad track .110 the rties thereei, iana whiehprovitles :a resilient track that will ebsoiib.shoeks-and1iars:at every tie :uporl whieh theassemhly is-used.

Another object of the invention 515 $9 aproyide anzassembly of Ibis kmd whic'hisaselficontained limit that avoids :the: necessity :eiwtheiusual spikes, ahold down icli'pszan'd ianc'hors "new employed in i3 conventionalrailroaditrack.

' A ifurtheriohjeet :ot the invention to iprmzide an aessembls torithe :purpose mentioned, which reduces-ithemoiseiof :hrains running .upon .a track tin which :the assembly iiis .used and "which afiards a. smoother and quieter ride therefor.

MSO',iitlIiSw1iGhjIeCtf0f the invention 7130 promitle gassemhly uof ith'is which requires but a minimum-of servicing innrse and which mayibeaccuratelyugaiuged andhbe nuieklyapplied fintrak.

figaingit'ris an object of theiimzentionmo vide assembly inf this akinil that includes LDEHIUS rmay ihezma'rle :from metallic mlatestamp- .ings, "which .zthnngh light weight; are istruhg andetifi .sand. amid vthe 31136.1(): :any parts requirins: rolling iin-ieonneation with special expensive rolls and whereby the cost is held at a minimum and prnduntion is-iaeilitateqlm Hike above :mentioned ohuects of :the :inventism, as well :as iothers, together with :the several aidwantageslthereof will more full appear as the seer:ificzttion iproceeds.

rinithe drawings :1 151a vie-w inrsiiieelevetien-ef ;t he im .nrored gassemblzv when .1111 guse for its in ended purpose with parts shown as broken away land in yentical section for a lbetter illustration ef the strueture-of.the assembly.

,Eig. 2 isa top-,plan eviewref the parts appearing IiniEig .1,

Fig.3 is a View menu eleve'tionrof theimproyed assembly.

Fig. 4 is *a top 'plan view of a certain resilient pad employed the assembly -on the scales of FigsAlLZandfB;

- iil lig. 5 isiaitopeplan view of a blank -i rom whieh 5 this LWillhQlIt ithe necessity of the "use 0f ithe-con- 2 the-tie engageable plalteof the assembly -is made, said figure being on a scale less "than that of *Figs l, 2,'3 and '4.

Fig.6 is a perspective view of-ene oYapai-r-ei eertain'angle bar elements employedyin the assembly, said figure ieeing substantially en scale-ofEigs. 1,- 2,8 and-4.

In general the assembly lsmade of certain metal parts, preferably eryzl'clucecl from stamped metallic plate, and a pad of resilient material such as natural rubber "or synthetic rubber. The metal parts include a *-tie 'engageahle plate and 'a "rail engageable pl-ate, whieh-plates while spaced apart by the -pa-d are preferably united to *the opposed surfaces thereof as by meansofan alihesive, welding or other suitable means *for :unit- -ing*-metal-to-rubber.

The tie engageable plate includes a body portion for seating -engagement upon thetie and includes integral downturned side parts thatma'y -be caused to enter the sides of the tie "to held "the assembly thereto. This plate also includes integral upturned endpart'swhieh notonlystifien the plate lout'wliich may he used in eonnection with a traek gauging bar when the assembly is plaeed in traek.

The rail engageab'le plate includes a body thet forms aseat for the base hf the rail and a'taeaeh end thereof this plate-carries an upright flangelike element :provid ing she lders for engagement by'the edges of therein-base. "I'his-.plate a'lso includes parts which may be bent inwardly about ewertical axis to engage and :exert a 'hOld-JflGWfl action upon the upper indlined =su-rfaces -of b6th sides of the rail base.

The pad, -beiore mentioned, is *preferably made lfirom naxturail rubber -er so-called synthetic-quibber and is preferably adhesively united to beth ip'laztes; fit is provided with ho'les that epen through the top :and bottom surfaeesof 'the :pafi for the purpose :of increasing the hys'tenesis less, energy absorption and heat radiating-twenties acre characteristics thereuf. I he parts mentioned are seeured together as- -a -unitany assem bly soas be easily Ihandledand installed in qela-oe and yentional spikes orithe like.

. ifietenringmew :insdeta'il to that embodiment el the invention illustrated in the :draW-mgs, the improved assembly "includes a tie engageaible :59 member 2L0, .a-mailibas eneageaible :member sl t,

and a resilient pad I2 between and fixed to the opposed surfaces of said members as will be later mentioned.

The member I is preferably made from a stamped metal plate blank appearing in Fig. 5. It is of a generally rectangular shape and is provided at the sides with flanges I3--I3 and at the ends with flanges I I-I4, the area I5 within said flanges and defined by dotted lines forming the substantially square body of the member I0 and which is of a width approximating the width of a conventional sawn railroad tie T. Each flange I3 is preferably wider at one end than it is at the other and the wide ends of said flanges are disposed at opposite ends of the blank. Thus the side edges of said flanges, while parallel with each other, are non-parallel with respect to the sides of the body. In the margins of these flanges are longitudinally spaced recesses I6I6 which alternate with intermediate tongues I'II'I, end parts of which are bent over at a right angle to form sharpened tie entering lugs or claws I8I8,

as best appears at the right hand side of Fig. 3.

In the forming of the blank, the flanges I3 are turned downwardly at an angle approximating 45 for further bending, and'the end flanges I4 are turned upwardly to form the elements I9--I9 which, while stiffening the member III as a whole in one direction, provides a shoulder for engagement by a track gauging device in applying the assembly to a tie T.

The rail base engageable plate II has the substantially square shape and stock of the body I5 of the member II), but has a smaller area so that its edges are spaced inwardly from the edges of ,the body I5 of said member I0. When the rail,

which is indicated at R, is relatively heavy per yard, say on the order ofl3l lbs., and it is desired that such rail be canted inwardly, the greater part of the member II has a cant or inclination corresponding to that desired in the rail R and which cant is provided for by the sectional shape of the pad I2, later mentioned in more detail. Under such conditions the outer marginal end part I Ia, of the plate I I is offset downwardly from the adjacent portion of said member and is preferably joined thereto by a somewhat ogee junction I Ib, as best appears in Fig. 1.

tongues, during application, may be carried out by means of a track maul, or other suitable tool.

The resilient pad I2, which is preferably made of an elastomer, such for example as so-called synthetic rubber or an admixture of natural and synthetic products, which will provide a pad having the desired resiliency, which will not readily oxidize, and which will not be adversely affected by oil, brine, and other elements, to which rail fastenings are frequently subjected, is of a generally square shape and is somewhat thicker than the plates I0 and II. It has a bottom surface area approximating that of the body I5 of the member I0 and upon which it engages and has a ".top surface area approximating that of the member I I, which engages upon it. The side and end edges of the pad are bevelled as shown.

In the pad, rows of longitudinally and transversely extending, but spaced apart openings 28-28, are provided, each of which is in the shape of a Greek cross and which open at their top and bottom ends through the top and bottom I surfaces of the pad. The upper surface of said there is operatively secured angle bar-like elements and 2I respectively. The member 20 includes a horizontal flange 22 and an upright flange 23 and the member 2I includes similar flanges 24 and 25 respectively. The horizontal flanges are engaged upon and are spot welded to the end margins of the member II, with the upright flanges 23 and 25 thereof spaced wide enough apart to receiverbetween them the side edges of the base R of the rail. The upper surface of each side of the base of the rail is conventionally inclined upwardly and inwardly, at opposite angles of about 14, toward the web of the rail.

Each vertical flange 2325 of the members 20 and 2I is formed with a slit 26 (see Fig. 6), which opens at one end through the ends of said flange and-extend downwardly and inwardly thereof at an angle of 12 which approximates that of the uppersurfaces of the rail base. These slits terminate at such elevation, above the bottom of p,

pad is inclined from a bulge 29, near its outer end, the words outer and inner being used herein with respect to the position said ends are disposed when the assembly is in use in a railroad track. For use in assembly for lighter weight rails than those mentioned and wherein a cant is unnecessary, the top surface of the pad I2, as well as the member II, will be flat and disposed parallel with the member III.

The pad I2 may be secured to the plates I0 and II in different ways, but preferably an adhesive 1 suitable for joining or uniting steel and rubber is used for this purpose.

When the assembly leaves its place'of manufacture for its installation in a track, the pad I2 is disposed between and united to the plates I0 and I I. The flanges I3 of the plate III are disposed at substantially the angle appearing at the right hand side of Fig. 3 and the tongues 2I-21 of the flanges 23 and 25 of the members 20 and 2I are in the straight unbent condition appearing in Fig. 6.

When assemblies of the kind mentioned are to replace the conventional tie plate and spikes in a railroad track the procedure is as follows:

After pulling spikes, the rail is removed to expose the tie plates which are then removed. The holes in the ties left by the pulling of the spikes are then plugged with wood pins and the tie surface is adzed off, preferably by machine, to present a uniform tie surface along adjacent ties. This is the same operation as now performed for relaying standard types of tie plates and new rails.

After a coating of preservative (such as a creosote preservative) has been applied to the adzed surface of the tie, one of the assemblies described herein is applied to the tie, with the member I0 engaged on the adzed surface,.with the flanges I3I3 disposed at each side of the tie. At this time, the flanges I3I3 are in the angular position appearing at the right hand side of Fig. 3. This may be carried out with apparatus that will hold the member III of the assembly, the proper distance from the gauge ofthe opposite rail of the track and parallel with the same, The flanges I3I3 are then further bent downwardly as by the use of a track maul and this will cause the lugs I8-I8 to enter the associated'sides of the ties to be embedded therein so as to hold the assembly to the tie. In this respect it is pointed out thatsaid lugs will enter the sides of the tie time are straight. The side edges of therbase of the rail will substantially abut against the inner surfaces of said flanges with the bottom surface of said base resting on the preservative coating on the upper surface of the plate I I between said flanges.

With a maul or other suitable means, the end portions 2'I21 of said flanges are bent inwardly toward the rail, the bendin occuring about a vertical axis substantially coincident with the inner end of the slits E i-26. When bent inwardly at the angle appearin in Fig. 2, the bottom edges of said tongues will have a binding engagement with the upper surfaces of both sides of the rail base and impose a hold-down action thereon which looks the rail to the assembly. If desired, another preservative coating may be applied at this time.

As before explained, the pad l2 may be a synthetic rubber, as it is more resistant to the action of dripping brine and oil and the weather elements. However, the rubber should be of such character as to provide the desired deflection required under load and the permanent set thereof which should be preferably kept below of its original height or thickness. It is preferred that the upturned flanges 19-49 extend across the width on the plate In because in addition to providing a more accurate gauging of the assembly, they also provide lateral strength across the tie as this reduces the tendency of the plate In, which is relatively thin, to curve or bow across the top of the tie when being applied to the tie and also better resists distortion under the wave action of the rail.

The Greek cross shape of the openings 28 in the pad I2, which are closed at their ends by the plates 10 and II is provided for definite functional reasons. One important purpose of the resilient pad is to absorb shocks, vibrations and to a certain extent the wave action of the rail caused by the movement of a train on the rail.

In order that the pad may properly absorb shocks,

vibrations and the like, there must be a loss or dissipation of energy in the material of the pad itself. This action is somewhat in the nature of an hysteresis loss and can be increased by making possible a large overall distortion of the pad material. With the openings having the shape mentioned, a large amount of inside surface of the pad material is exposed so that a greater distortion of the material and much better heat radiation caused thereby are possible.

In general the hysteresis loss of a pad of the kind mentioned may approximate 10% of the applied energy. If the load applied is 15,000 lbs. and the deflection is a quarter of an inch, the total energy required to compress the pad is 1875 inch pounds or 156 foot pounds; If it is desired to absorb 10% of this to eliminate shocks, this absorption is foot pounds per deflection.

Thus, if one hundred freight cars pass over the assembly, there .will be two depressions per car, one under each truck so thatithe'totalenergy absorptionin the pad material will be of the order of 3000 foot pound. This must be dissipated in the form-of heat and the pad will radiate this heat through thesurf'aoesof the openings to the engaged metallic surfaces and thence to atmosphere.

The improved assembly provides a more-silent .Jtrack, and one" which provides not only better riding qualities therein, but one which .is easier on theeqliinment of the trains.

rI 'urthern ilore, the novel .Idevlioe is such "that every assemblly serves as a rail anchor resisting movement of the rail in both directions.

It will be understood that the energy absorption, and hence heat generation, occurs at the time a train is passing over the rail at the place where the improved assembly is located. The advancement of the train over the rail causes a very considerable movement of the air along the rail, which action assists in carrying away the heat generated by the train in its movement over the rail at that point.

While in describing the invention I have referred in detail to the form, arrangement and construction of the parts involved, the same is to be considered only in an illustrative sense so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rail and tie fastenin embodying therein a tie engageable plate, a rail engageable plate, a

pad of resilient material disposed between and united thereto, the tie engageable plate having parts at each side thereof that include lugs for entering the associated side of the tie for securing the plates thereto, means at the ends of said tie engageable plate for stiffening the same and providing shoulders for engagement by track gauging device, and means at the ends of the rail engageable plate including upstanding flangelike portions that are slit longitudinally to provide parts that are bendable inwardly about a vertical axis to have a hold-down engagement with the top surface of the base of the rail on said plate.

2. A rail and tie fastening device comprising a flat body plate adapted to rest upon a tie, said plate havingportions adapted to be bent downwardly to form depending flange portions along opposite sides, said flange portions being of greater extent at one end than at the other, the margins of flanges being provided with spaced tongue portions and when the flange portions are downwardly disposed being adapted to be forced into the face of the tie at different elevations.

3. The arrangement defined in claim 2 in which the flange portion of minimum extent at one side is opposite the flange portion of maximum extent at the other.

4. A rail and tie fastening device comprising a fiat body plate adapted to rest upon a tie, said plate having portions adapted to be bent downwardly to form depending flange portions along opposite sides, said flange portions being of greater extent at one end than at the other, the margins of flanges being provided with spaced tongue portions and when the flange portions are downwardly disposed being adapted to be forced into the face of the tie at different elevations, said plate also having marginal portions at opposite ends adapted to be bent upwardly to provide plate "7? 'stifi'ening flanges positioned to serve as track Number gauging bar abutments. 1,609,109 HARRY W. PROTZELLER. 1,972,825 2,113,372 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 23 3 2 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,291,611 2,340,187 Number Name Date 2 942 457,584 Goldie Aug. 11, 1891 540,356 Goldie June 4, 1895 10 732,424 Moss June 30, 1903 1,092,013 Brenning Mar. 31, 1914 Number 1,372,852 Warr Mar. 29, 1921 3,60? j 1,377,424 Milliken May 10, 1921 of 1892 Name Date Bradley Nov. 30, 1926- Funston Sept. 4, 1934 Ellies Apr. 5, 1938 Hankins May 20, 1941 Dooling Aug. 4, 1942 Hersey et a1 Jan. 25, 1944 Johnson June 12, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Dec. 31, 1892 

